Poll Reveals that Most Veterans Support Cannabis

According to a recent poll released by the American Legion, most military veterans support cannabis legalization.

The Legions surveyed 1,360 veterans, and tried to get as much diverse representation as possible. The results showed that 82 percent of those surveyed were in favor of cannabis as a federally legal medical treatment, and 92 percent wanted to see more research about what cannabis could do for them. The survey also revealed that one in five veterans is currently using cannabis as a medical treatment, and that most of the veteran supporters were over the age of 60.

The American Legion has been trying for a while now to pass a resolution that would allow Veterans Affairs doctors to speak to their patients about cannabis as a possible treatment. Doing so is currently prohibited because of the substance’s federal illegality, even in states where federal cannabis is medically or recreationally legal. This is still the law, despite the fact that many studies and much anecdotal evidence are now showing that cannabis can help veterans with things like PTSD and pain management.

“Year after year, we’ve never been able to pass the Veterans Equal Access amendment,” advocate Dr. Sue Sisley was quoted as saying, according to CULTURE.

However, despite these steps in the right direction, the American Legion keeps facing hurdles. The Department of Veterans Affairs recently referred to a PTSD cannabis study as “worthless” and refused to seriously consider its findings.

While it is frustrating that veterans are still fighting for the right to cannabis as a medicine, and even to education about cannabis, results like the ones laid out in this study will help to support the case for normalizing cannabis as a treatment for those who have served our country.